Article carrier systems are well known throughout the automotive industry for use in storing or retaining luggage, bicycles, small boats, or the like on the exterior of a vehicle even while the vehicle is in motion. Typically, article carrier systems include a number of individual components such as supports, side rails, stanchions, cross rails, and the like.
Generally, in a roof mounted carrier system, supports are secured to each of the four corners of the roof of a vehicle. Each of a pair of side rails is positioned between and secured to two of the four supports so that the two side rails are essentially parallel to each other and extend between the front and the rear of the vehicle. Often one or more cross rails are secured, generally perpendicularly, to the side rails to provide a cradle for the article being transported, so that the article can be adequately secured to the vehicle and damage to the vehicle's roof may be avoided. The complete assembly forms the article carrier system. Similar systems can be configured for the trunk lid, pickup bed, or just about any exterior surface of a vehicle.
Side rails may be manufactured with channels to allow the user to slide and locate cross rails at any point along the length of the side rail. Cross rails may be attached to the side rails as part of an initial mounting of the article carrier system on the vehicle. Each of the cross rail ends are slid into a respective end of each of the side rail channels. This is the optimal situation for assembling cross rails or any other article carrier accessory to the side rails.
Once the carrier system is mounted on the roof, the ends of each of the side rails providing access to the channels, are closed to prevent the cross rail from sliding out of the channels. By closing the side rails an anti-theft aspect is also contemplated. However, if cross rails are not added during the original mounting of the article carrier device on the roof of the vehicle or there is a subsequent need or wish to add some other accessory to the carrier system, the side rails and supports may have to be disassembled in order to slide the accessory components into the channels of the side rails. This may result in unwanted excess labor and cost and may also create the possibility of damage to the vehicle.
Therefore, a need exists for an accessory slot fastener assembly that can be inserted in the channel and assembled to the side rail of an article carrier system after the system has been mounted on a vehicle.